Le Mans — How It Began

The first race took place in 1923.

Most Popular

May 16, 2007

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

"Racing improves the breed" was what Charles Faroux, one of the foremost French motor journalists and engineers of the past century, had in mind when in 1922 he contacted Georges Durand, the President of the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO). Up to then, racing and racing cars had certainly helped accelerate the technical development of the automobile, but sporting events for production models had been mostly limited to reliability trials. Faroux's ideas was that a 24-hour continuous race for production cars would test their entire equipment, including lighting system, starting motor, fenders and even all-weather equipment (most cars entered were open 2- or 4-seaters because of their lighter weight). Two drivers would alternate at the wheel.

Most Popular

As the race was dedicated to the improvement of the breed, some modifications to the production specifications were allowed, such as alternative bearing materials, cam profiles or different carburetors. However, the regulations were extremely strict: Except for the 1100-cc (later 1500-cc) capacity class, all cars had to have four seats. The cars had to race with a ballast of 75 kg (165 lb.) for each unoccupied seat and with all spare parts and tools required for any repair.

In 1926, the Peugeot leading the race was disqualified because a windshield bracket broke and could not be repaired with the equipment on board. The radiator and oil filler were sealed and a minimum distance had to be covered before refilling. Open cars lined up for the start with the soft top down. As the start was given—traditionally at 4 p.m.—the top had to be raised by the driver before the car moved, and remain up for 20 laps of the 17.2-km (10.7-mile) circuit.

The first race took place in 1923.There was no official classification, but a French 3-liter Chenard & Walcker covered the longest distance in the 24 hours. Amazingly all cars finished, but as no minimum performance was required, some of them spent more time in the pits than on the circuit.

This was corrected the following year when minimum distances, depending on the engine capacity, were required of official finishers. A clever formula was eventually devised to calculate these minima for each capacity class, and became the base for the "index of performance" classification, the winner being the car having exceeded the minimum distance required for its class by the highest percentage. This "index" classification was an obvious means to attract French manufacturers, most of which built only small-capacity cars, and the prize money offered was higher than for the overall winner! The index was abandoned in 1981.

With the passing of years, the regulations became less strict, wet-weather equipment was no longer required for open cars, neither was ballast, and in the late 1930s many cars, all 2-seaters from 1937 on, did not look like production cars anymore, except under the skin.

After the war, the circuit required a lot of repairs and "Les 24 Heures du Mans" did not resume until 1949. The regulations were much like pre-war, except for a small addition that would soon completely change the character of the race. That addition was a class for "bona fide prototypes," new models at an advanced stage of development and intended for production but not yet on the market. In fact, only two manufacturers took advantage of this new opening: Mercedes-Benz with the 300SL that finished 1st and 2nd in 1952, and MG with the MGA in 1955. But soon these "bona fide" prototypes turned into proper racing cars with no relation to any future production models. These included the P3 and P4 in the 1960s, and the mighty 917, not to mention the Ferrari 312P and various Matras, which were pure Formula 1 cars of the 1970s with different bodies. They made the show, drew huge crowds to the circuit and kept the organizers happy.

As the years went by, the regulations changed, and Le Mans became the star event of the newly created Manufacturers' Championship. Meanwhile, for safety reasons, the circuit underwent several modifications. When in the late 1980s a Sauber-Mercedes exceeded 400 km/h (250 mph) on the Hunaudières Straight, the ACO rightly became frightened and installed two chicanes, reducing the highest speed attainable by current prototypes to a little over 200 mph.

For a time, 1982–1992, Group C regulations dictated the same quantity of fuel to all the main contenders. Factory entries included Porsche, Lancia, , , , , and (under the cover of Sauber) . But neither the drivers, nor the public, nor the organizers liked the fuel restrictions, and for 1994 new regulations were adopted and are basically still enforced.